The Weekly Leaks: Virgin Radio Lebanon on May 1st

January 31, 2013 By Gino 8 Comments

So, guess what? Remember that leak I told you I was working on? Well, I found something even bigger! I have gathered enough information about it from various contacts in Beirut (who I am very grateful to for making it possible from all the way here).

Virgin Radio is opening a station in Beirut in the next few weeks and it’s looking massive. The radio station operates in Canada, France, Turkey, Thailand and Dubai and the next one is opening in our beloved Beirut.

The Top 40 music station will be extremely interactive, with a lot of focus on social media integration and 3 weekly, live roadshows (look out Gavin Ford!). They’re so big on social networking that rumor has it you can even request songs via Twitter, with the nice guys at Virgin Radio tweeting your girlfriend (who I assume you are dedicating the song to) “Listen to Virgin Radio Lebanon at (insert time) for a special song from your boy” (or something like that). So no more waiting on the line and getting hung-up on after 16 minutes on the line (Thanks MixFM!)

It’s set to kick off in April, taking it easy at first and then going all out on Labor Day with rumors that Sir Richard Branson himself will be attending! They’ve already begun scouting for local talent to be part of the station too.

I, personally, am excited to see how it plays out. English-speaking radio stations in Lebanon are undoubtedly awesome, but they’ve become “too big” for us normal folk, with airtime, competitions and contributions being farfetched for most of us. Virgin Radio looks to be more accessible, more interactive and that’s definitely something I’m looking forward to.

I’ll keep an eye out for more info on this awesome leak!

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The Weekly Leaks: A Mega Food, Nightlife and Hotel Project in Jounieh’s Old Souk

December 19, 2011 By Gino 3 Comments

Where?

The Old Jounieh Souk, to be more precise, at the mouth of the street a few buildings down to the right. Find the location on the map below.

What?

For now, it’s being dubbed the “Fathallah Hayali Project”. It is a complex of Lebanese-style stone buildings in the Old Jounieh district that will include several restaurants, clubs, pubs, cafes and a boutique hotel.

The complex has access to both the iconic ancient road and to the Mediterranean Sea shore that Jounieh is famous for.

Who?

In the first building

Dunkin Donuts has already opened up shop in the complex and is looking good
A pub by Natalie Fadlallah, of Natalie’s Modeling agency (works undergoing in the pub as of mid-December)

In the second building

Couqley - the affordable french bistro in The Alleway in Gemmayzeh is branching out to Jounieh
Shogun – the awesome sushi and Chinese restaurant from Verdun will be setting up shop in Jounieh also
On the attic, a pub is set to open up but I wasn’t able to find out who or what or the name. They’ll have an awesome view though! (views of the beautiful Harissa Mountain as well as the sea, pictures below)

In the third building

A 50-room boutique hotel
Access to the beach

When?

Gradually towards the summer of 2012. The building is complete and the contracts have either been signed or are being signed in the next quarter. I expect the investors and companies interested to make haste and be ready before their peak season in summer.

Conclusion

This is an awesome project that will bring a much-needed diversity to the Jounieh nightlife, shopping and entertainment district. Pubs and cafes are plentiful, but quality dining and modern lodging do need a rejuvenation and some new blood in town.

I have very high hopes for this project and will keep you updated with the leak as it progresses. In the meantime, if you missed it, check out the Blueberry Square Mall plans in Dbayeh.

Filed Under: Leaks Tagged With: jounieh nightlife, the weekly leaks, weekly leaks

The Weekly Leaks: White Beirut’s Winter Venue Opening THIS Friday

December 14, 2011 By Gino Leave a Comment

The Opening Review is now up and running here

It’s called MAD Beirut. A fitting name for a place Beirut’s clubbers frequent. It’s the winter venue of White Beirut. Rumors of such a venue began even before we were sure that the building on which White is perched was indeed the one. Now though, after following it up, it’s clear that the rumors were true and that the club is almost ready.

When you’re in the elevator going up to White, you press “2″. Well, Mad Beirut is on level 1. The winter version of White is of course indoors, and the open-air part you see from the seaside road is in fact the venue’s garden.

It is a more intimate venue, with half of White’s capacity, putting it at around 1000 clubbers. A welcome bit of information which should help keep everyone close and warm this winter. The music will still the crowd-pleasing mashup of RnB and House with this winter’s resident DJs Jad and Elie, with the occasional visit by Bob and Devon.

What’s interesting about this venue are the visuals. Apart from massive LED screens on the walls, the visual experience will be made more immersive with a visually interactive ceiling. So, like the sounds and vibrations, the visuals will be all around you.

Here’s everything I managed to find out about MAD Beirut. I’m looking forward to the opening this Friday December 16th, 2011, with a full review on the new venue. Till then, here are a few pics of the venue before work started on it.

Filed Under: Leaks Tagged With: mad beirut, the weekly leaks, white beirut winter venue

The Weekly Leaks: Palais Maillot, A New Club Opening TONITE

November 10, 2011 By Gino 4 Comments

Now, this is a club I’ve been hearing about for over 6 months. Every other week, or every other month, we hear whispers that it’s about to open. This time though, the guys behind it look keen on finally opening, tonite!

: Taken minutes before publishing this post

I took a look on the inside and snapped a few photos. It’s looking cool. But, my stealthy cover was sorta blown and I promised I won’t publish the unfinished interior. Why? Well, I don’t wanna start off on the wrong foot with them, but mainly because it’s opening up in a few hours and I’d much rather bring you the photos of the first ever night in that club. Spoiler: they have two beautiful DJ Booths equipped with CDJ2000s and DJM2000 mixers..

Tonite is said to be the “soft opening” for the “younger” crowd, with tomorrow being for the prospective older clientele. It’s invitation-only these couple of days, and I regret to inform you I have not been invited. Nevertheless, I’ll try to go in tonite and get you the scoop. If not, I’ll post the photos I took today!

Where is it exactly? It’s right next to Elias Asmar electronics, directly adjacent to Mobili Top in the Jdeideh Nahr El Mot area. Here’s a Google map to help you pinpoint it.

Filed Under: Leaks Tagged With: the weekly leaks, weekly leaks

The Weekly Leaks: An Inside Peak into the New Block of ABC Dbayeh

November 8, 2011 By Gino 2 Comments

click to enlarge panoramic image

Back in May 2011, I reported on the heated race between ABC Dbayeh and Le Mall Dbayeh.

Now, both projects are in their advanced staged and I’ve manage to get hold of a few sneak-peaks into the brand new ABC block. It looks incomplete on the outside, but the interior is practically done. Escalators, railings and lights are all installed and ready. All that remains is filling it up with shops and the expected Grand Cinemas ABC Dbayeh (which I hopefully will get leaks on soon!)

For now, enjoy these handful of photos. It’s looking good! Construction is expected to end in December 2011-January 2012 and will make ABC Dbayeh’s total area some 45,000sqm! I also love the minimalist facade which I have attached at the bottom

click to enlarge panoramic image

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Filed Under: Leaks, Leb Tagged With: abc dbayeh plans, the weekly leaks

The Weekly Leaks: A Multi-Leak

June 28, 2011 By Gino 1 Comment

First and foremost, a note to all haters: Shiddo 7alkon. The lil’Wayne issue has caused lots of silly talk and gossip. For one, lil’Wayne is a convict and has been let out on probation for those of you who don’t know. This means he needs permission from the court to leave the USA. Notice all his scheduled shows are in the US. So, the will to get him here was there, but the US justice system wasn’t too excited about it. Also, when something goes amiss, I will admit it and apologize if I did something wrong, instead of editing articles and denying it (like some juveniles who can’t spell do on a regular basis).

Anyway, it’s a busy summer and there are loads going on

1- Pier 7 Opening on June 30

It looks impossible, but Pier 7 is set to launch the day after tomorrow! The sound and light systems are up and installed and the final touches on the corridor leading into the massive outdoors club was being assembled as I took this photo.

Read more on what the club is gonna be like on TimeOut Beirut. And for those of you who wanna be there, the number you need to call is 7069777.

2- White Unpurifies and Ready to Open

The name “Pure White” has been scrapped and it’s good old plain “White” again. After rumors that the club will not be able to open up in time for the summer season, it seems everything is in order and the construction work has progressed exponentially.

For one, the building, ironically, has been painted black. The ugly basket-ball-court-like metal frame turned out to be just the base of the actual rooftop section of White. On a lower level, a large atrium opens up to the sea, creating the massive and diverse spaces promised, as well as an area shielded from the elements.

I overheard something about a July 7th opening, but this is just hearsay, so don’t throw a tantrum if it turns out to be on a different date.

3- ANOTHER Charcutier Aoun =\

Those of you who live in Naccache, pass by this road everyday. For those of you who don’t, this area is where the Dbayeh/AGBU bridge ends. It’s just behind Spinneys and a minute away from the MTV building.

Turns out this construction site is yet another Charcutier Aoun supermarket! It’s peculiar, considering the grocery store chain has a massive branch less than 5 kilometers away and meters away from Spinneys. But, who knows, a shorter distance to our fattening foods is always good!